Book now to avoid disappointment.   Nominations are now CLOSED for the 2008 Captioning Awards 

Hearing Awareness Week will be celebrated Australia-wide in the week 24-30 August 2008.

Events include free hearing screenings, public talks, Auslan-interpreted events, hearing screening for politicians, and much more.

To find events near you, see http://www.hearingawarenessweek.org.au/eventscal.htm

For free posters and balloons contact our office info@deafnessforum.org.au

The millions of Australians who listen to music through headphones are being urged to turn down the volume or risk causing irreparable damage, including deafness.

The warning follows the results of a Federal Government survey showing more than two-thirds of Australians listen to music through headphones, with 60 per cent of them playing it at an unsafe volume.

People with disability commend the significant announcement made 18 July 2008 by the Australian Government and believe it will herald a new era of positive cooperation in disability policy development.

The move to quickly ratify the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability gives a strong indication the Australian Government is committed to strengthening a more inclusive society for the one fifth of Australians estimated to be living with some form of disability.

Major new research - smoking linked to hearing loss

One of the largest ever studies into risk factors for hearing loss - funded by RNID and led by Professor Van Camp at the University of Antwerp - found that smoking, being overweight and occupational noise are major risk factors in age-related hearing loss.